Massachusetts boating clubs, state seek rent deal

Tuesday

Nov 27, 2007 at 12:01 AMNov 27, 2007 at 2:33 AM

Days after a state-mandated deadline for 14 boating clubs to pay significantly higher rental fees or face a possible eviction, officials said on Monday that the clubs and the state Department of Conservation and Recreation are attempting to negotiate a solution.

Edward B. Colby

Days after a state-mandated deadline for 14 boating clubs to pay significantly higher rental fees or face a possible eviction, officials said on Monday that the clubs and the state Department of Conservation and Recreation are attempting to negotiate a solution.

The state agency had originally been pushing for a one-year lease for each of the clubs, but the clubs want a more permanent arrangement.

‘‘We’re working things out with the DCR,’’ said Ted Chisholm, commodore of the Massachusetts Boating and Yacht Clubs Association. ‘‘The clubs are simply attempting to secure a 10-year lease instead of a one-year permit.’’

The 14 yacht clubs - such as the Squantum Yacht Club and Wollaston Yacht Club in Quincy, and the Neponset Valley Yacht Club in Milton - had until Nov. 23 to pay the higher fees, first sought by the Romney administration, and allow more public access.

The state DCR claims each club owes the state $12,000 for nearly three years in back rent.

State Sen. Michael Morrissey, a Quincy resident and member of the Squantum club, said that his club and others have sent letters asking to meet with the Patrick administration over short- and long-term lease prospects. The DCR does not want to evict the clubs, Morrissey said.

‘‘They realize they have to come to a reasonable agreement, and the new commissioner appears willing to be able to do that,’’ Morrissey said. ‘‘We’re hopeful that this administration, unlike the last one, will now sit down and talk to the yacht clubs, whether they’re together or individually.’’

‘‘We’re still kind of looking at the whole situation, and we’re going to have more to say mid-week,’’ Wendy Fox, press secretary for DCR Commissioner Rick Sullivan, said on Monday.

Morrissey said the state should create a ‘‘fair rental structure’’ - taking into account factors such as income stream, facilities and maintenance and infrastructure costs - as it sets fees for the different clubs.

‘‘At the end of the day, you’re hitting the small-boat owner in the pocketbook,’’ he said.